The Queen and prime minister will attend a national memorial service for the UK victims of the Asian tsunami.

The Archbishop of Canterbury will lead the ceremony at St Paul's Cathedral in London on 11 May.

Relief agencies, family members of UK victims and leaders of UK communities and faiths with close ties to the affected countries will be invited.

The tsunami killed an estimated 300,000 people in late December last year, including more than 80 Britons.

The Foreign Office has confirmed 82 people from the UK perished in the disaster.

A further 182 people are still missing.

Most of the British victims were in Thailand when the wave hit.

Three people were killed in the Maldives and 13 in Sri Lanka.

The memorial service was announced by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

A statement from the department said: "As well as remembering the UK victims, the service will also recognise the huge suffering endured by all the countries affected and the overwhelming humanitarian response."